The Family Escape
by Pinkwataah1
Summary: The 93rd Hunger Games reaping arrives, and Katniss realizes that her daughters name will be called that day. To save her daughter, they escape into the woods with Peeta. The capitol, however, will determine their fate that will ruin their lives. Forever.
1. Realization

**Hey everyone! So I hope you like this and if you do REVIEW! Reviewing is the best thing you can do. ALSO: I only made it to the end of book 2, I still have yet to read MockingJay. So… keep that in mind if you notice anything conflicting. This is going to take place as if the second and third book never happened. If I add a flashback from the second book or something, I dont mean to. An event from the second book _is_ included in this chapter, but there's false reasoning behind it and if you havent read the second book, I wouldnt worry too much about it. That being said, Please REVIEW!**

I came home from a day in the woods with my old friend, Gale, since surprisingly nothing has changed since we were teenagers. Most of the peacekeepers don't care if I hunt in the woods anymore, but there's always that chance that some bitter peacekeeper will cut out my tongue and turn me into an Avox, or they might put Gale and I to death. It's a shame we never really got a chance to try dating, what with the capitol interference. I lay my bow and arrow on the table near the door and look for Peeta. I love him, but I can never help wondering – what if. What if I had never volunteered after Prim's name had been called at the reaping? Would Gale and I have had a relationship when we were teenagers? Would we be happily in love? I think we would be. I don't regret anything though, Prim's safety is more important than my happiness.

I look down at piano and sighed. The sight of that wretched pregnancy report that I had received from the capitol shook me out of my thoughts. Yesterday, I had gotten professionally tested. I got the report today, it appeared as if by magic on the counter when I got an incoming call from President Snow. He was going off again about how this was not over, and he would get revenge somehow, someway for us making a fool out of him during the 74th Hunger Games. He called us angrily like that at least once a month, usually when he was drunk. After Peeta and I won, he resorted to drinking to calm himself. I don't understand why he is still angry. It's been seven years since then! Fortunately, these next two years or so should be his last years in power. Unfortunately, however, his son will take power soon afterwards.

Anyway, I'm not dumb. I know my pregnancy is extremely likely - and I also know why. It's my own fault, I suppose, for trusting the capitol to allow my doctors to give me decent birth control pills. Of course the doctor was under the control of the hungry-for-revenge president. I breathed out and picked up the envelope. I had gone through the Hunger Games. The HUNGER GAMES! I think I'm strong enough to open a pathetic little envelope to see if I have a… to see if I have a life growing inside of me. I was nervous, though. I remember how the capitol reacted when Peeta said that I was pregnant at 17… and the public outcry was horrendous. They only calmed down when I claimed that I had had a miscarriage, and even then they were angry at me because it was such a close call. If I was actually expecting a baby, the public would be seriously angry that I, of all people, would bring a child into this world knowing that the first chance he got, the President would be sure to put it to death. I mean, Peeta claimed I was pregnant for the right reasons, so people would stop crowding me, taking pictures, and stop trying to make me look like a terrible person in the magazine. Sometimes, though, he needs to think. It didn't matter anymore, its been five years and nobody even remembers about my 'scandal'. I hated being an involuntary celebrity.

I sighed out once again before ripping the envelope open and reading the first line of the letter. "There's my favorite girl!" Peeta said, coming down the hallway. I quickly hid the letter behind my back. "I thought I heard you coming in! What have you got there?" He smiled. I looked at him with frightened eyes.

**12 Years Later**

"No! Mommy! I don't want to go!" yelled tiny Rue, my and Peeta's daughter, clutching her bedpost. "I don't want to go! Mommy, please don't make me!" she cried. All I could see was my daughters tear-stained cheeks, yet I was paralyzed. They were the same exact tear-stained cheeks that Prim had at the reaping.

"Come on sweetie, we have to. Both your mommy and I were called. What are the chances you will be called, too?" Peeta asked, looking at his watch, knowing if they waited any longer the peacekeepers might have our heads - literally. "And we both survived! The Mellarks are strong!"

"No!" Rue screamed desperately, clutching her bed as Peeta was trying to pull her off. "I don't want to die! Please, daddy! Mommy help!"

"PrimRue Cinna Mellark!" Peeta scolded, using her full name which he only did when he was angry. She only went by Rue though. I couldn't speak, all I could see was Prim and the little 12 year old girl at the games whom she was named after, Rue. I couldn't do this to my daughter - the entire family knew that Effie, who was now getting quite old and would have to be replaced soon if she didn't regain the spunk she had twelve years ago, would be picking from a fixed drawing. All of District 12 knew that, which is why none of the girls would be nervous this year. It was no secret that President Snows son, who was now the president, was bitter about his father having been made a fool of. I saw Peeta grab tiny Rue and carry her out - carry her out to her death. She would die in a matter of weeks, just like the other Rue did, if I didn't stop it. Why was Peeta being so... unsympathetic? Doesn't he know that every year the capitol finds more and more terrifying, painful, and brutal ways to kill teenagers? Didn't the memory of the 74th Hunger Games replay in his head every night like it did in hers? I'm sure they do, but we never speak of the games. Ever. Some may say that makes for an unhealthy marriage. Those people are idiots. They haven't lived through what we've lived through. Those people shouldn't judge. I could hear Rue's cries of desperation - it sounded like an odd mix of Rue and Prim. "PRIMRUE!" Peeta yelled, almost in tears, knowing that there would be a good chance that the peacekeepers would take her and have his and my head, or at least tongue, for being late.

"PEETA! STOP IT!" I yell angrily. He jumped back, having never heard me use that tone with him before.

"Katniss, we -" Peeta started.

"NO! Shut up!" I lower my voice so Rue can't hear me, and pull Peeta to the side. I used that scary tone that people only use rarely and in extreme cases, where they are literally incapable of yelling at that point. "I know as well as you do that the memory of the games plays in your head every night, as they do in mine. Do you really want to subject your daughter to that? And what if she doesn't survive? Do you really want your daughter to be mauled by beasts, burned alive, or starve to death? She can't hunt or fight like the careers! She never took an interest or talent in hunting, despite my attempts to teach her. She is not strong. She can't disguise herself or even find food." I say. I hear Rue's cries, and I realize I was speaking loud enough for her to hear. I stare sympathetically at her before turning my gaze angrily back to Peeta.

"Well what do you suppose we do?" he yells back.

"Well for starters I think you need to get your priorities straight" I snap, before kneeling down to Rue. "Sweetie," I say, kneeling down to her level. "Get your coat. We're going on an adventure. Don't worry, you will be safe! Just put some of your most important things in your bag!" I smile, and she begins to runs off. "Not Swimmy, though!" I yell after her, referring to her Beta fish, and I can see her turn around with a sad expression. I nod my head and she sadly runs off. I get back up. "If we show up, all three of us are dead. Us for being so late, her for being in the games... And with our luck, it will be slow and painful - for us and her!" I say bitterly. "They're already showing that stupid video about the districts rebelling, probably, and any minute now they will call her name and she wont be there!" I look at my keychain watch. "In four minutes to be exact."

"Well what do you suppose we do?" He asked again shortly, quite irritated.

"I think that you-" I poked his chest on 'you' "Need to decide what's more important - your life or your daughters?"

"Rue's of course!" he said angrily.

"Well it sure didn't seem that way when you were pulling her off the bed when she was scared of death!" I say, walking around the house to collect and pack teabags, bread, meat, sleeping bags, matches, rope, clothes, and books into a bag among other things. I took notice of his face, it became softer and he almost looked sick... at his actions maybe?

"I didn't want us to become Avoxes. Or dead." He says quietly, looking down.

I have no sympathy for him at this point, and I spew out things that I don't actually mean. "IF I MARRIED GALE, HIM AND I WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION. IN FACT, HE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF RUNNING AWAY BEFORE I DID, AND THERE WOULD BE NO QUESTION ABOUT IT!" I screamed, slamming my bag on the table - loudly. We stared at eachother, with sort of a silent conversation. He silently asked me if I really meant that, and I didn't answer. I didn't mean it, of course. If I did, I wouldn't have been with him for 17 years, despite the capitols 'opinions'. However, I couldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"We both know shes going into the games whether we're alive or not!" he yells and I can see his eyes starting to water up, but he dare not show weakness. He learned that in the games when I was sure that I was going to kill him for teaming with Cato, Clove, and Glimmer.

"The Mellarks are marks of rebellion, Peeta!" I say coldly. "You didn't once think of escaping?" I question.

"OF COURSE I HAVE, I JUST REALIZED THAT WE WOULD GET CAUGHT AND EVERYONE WE LOVE WOULD BE PUNISHED SOMEWAY, SOMEHOW!" He screams. I'm taken back by his anger.

"Well, the peacekeepers will be here any second and Rue and I are running into the woods!" I conclude, checking my keychain watch and finishing putting items into my bag. I love Peeta, I really do, but right now he needs to stop being selfish and think about his family.

"So what are you saying?" He asks with an attitude. "That while you two run off you will leave me here to be questioned and tortured by the peacekeepers to the point of death?"

"Of course not!" I roll my eyes. "When have you EVER known me to leave you alone to die? I didn't leave you alone when you were dying of an infected cut, and I was even risking my own life. How dare you say that I-" I was cut off by Rue coming into the room dragging a bag behind her. "And be sure to join us quietly, you walk loudly." I say, so Rue doesn't have to listen to a fight at the scariest moment of her life. He rolled his eyes.

I lowered my voice, out of fear of Rue listening. "In a week or so, if you have your friggin act together by then, maybe your daughter can actually live - unless, of course, you don't want to be turned into an Avox - I mean, since it's all about you!" I say sarcastically. "Let's go!" I say, staring coldly at Peeta as we head out.


	2. Kidnapped and Running

**Dear whoever reads this, I love you! If you review, it will motivate me to write faster. But I just have a favor to ask you. I haven't read mockingjay yet, so please don't give me spoilers. Thanks(: enjoy**

"Ssh, stop walking so loudly!" I said coldly to Peeta, who crossed his arms and murmured something under his breath. Sighing, I climbed up into a tall tree to see what was going on near our house. Many people were standing on their porches murmuring to each other as a mob of peacekeepers rushed toward our house with every kind of weapon you could think of. Four peacekeepers were guarding our doors - two at the front door, two at the back door and there was one peacekeeper at each window.

"What's going on, mom?" Rue asked, clutching the mockingjay pin I had given her a couple of years ago.

"Ssh!" I say, coldly. Even though I can't hear them and they can't hear us, I need complete silence to comprehend what's happening. The peacekeepers are teaming up to throw toy chests, closets, and anything else we could be hiding in out the windows. Then, I saw Peeta's mom, my mom, Gale and Prim run to my house. I can vaguely hear them screaming. I stare at them sympathetically, wishing I could have taken them with me or at least tell them where we were going. Then, I see one peacekeeper climbing on the roof and putting something on it. Next, every single peacekeeper ran far away from the house. Out of reaction, I suppose, the families who were watching on the porch and our family ran away, as well. About one minute later, the entire house blew up into a million tiny pieces. How are these people called 'Peacekeepers'?

"What was that?" Peeta asked.

"Our house." I said quickly. I could hear Rue's cries, probably because she knew her fish was dead. I sat there for another minute, but nothing happened. Could that be it? Did they think they just killed us? Are we free? ...Of course not, this was the capitol we were talking about. I was about to get down when I saw our family go up to the house and fall to the ground. I suppose they were crying and they thought we had died. I felt sick knowing how sick they must have felt. I saw Prim and my mother putting a mixture of dirt and ashes on their heads as a sign on mourning. What happened next, though, I couldn't take it. I needed to run back. I couldn't handle it. I jumped off of the tree.

"What happened?" Peeta asked.

"I- I need to go!"

"Why?"

"THEY TOOK OUR FAMILY, PEETA. THEY TOOK PRIM AND MOM AND GALE AND YOUR MOM!" I yelled. I heard Rue's stifled cries. I grabbed my bow and arrows and began to run back.

"Katniss, you can't go!" Peeta said, grabbing my arm.

"I HAVE TO. LET ME GO!" I said, desperately trying to free my arm. "THEY ARE GOING TO HUR. PRIM AND MOM AND GALE, PEETA. THEY ARE GOING TO TORTURE THEM!"

"And if you go back they will torture you too." Peeta said. "And then they will find us and torture us." I looked at my brautiful Rue, a waterfall was pouring down our faces.

"I need to go, Peeta. I NEED TO. I care too much about Prim to allow them to hurt her!"

"Katniss, knowing the capitol they will hurt her whether you're there or NOT!" Peeta said.

"There you go again, I thought you were supposed to be the sympathetic one."

"Now I am the realistic one."

"They might hurt Prim less if they have me!" I say.

"The capitol knows that the worst torture they can give you is not cutting off your tongue or putting you on a stretcher, but to hurt your little sister and mother and Gale. They will be much worse to them if they know you're there watching them." He lowered his voice. "If we don't keep going, the Peacekeepers will find us and hurt Rue. Prim is 30 now, Katniss. You don't need to protect her anymore like she's 12.

As much as I know he's right, I don't want to believe it. After a bit more coaching, I agreed to travel forward. Peeta was a mess but decided not to show it. Rue and I, though, couldn't hide our emotions.

I grabbed my bag and we headed off to nowhere in particular, explaining what had happened. We just knew we needed to get out of District 12. Somehow, someway we simply needed to get out of the country. There haven't been any boats or planes in existance since I was three, so I had no idea how we would get to another country unless we made a boat. A couple of hours later, it was getting dark. I turned to Peeta with my red eyes and tear stained cheeks. "Peeta, I have some meat, bread, nuts, water, milk, cheeses, and fruit inside my bag. I am going to build some shelter, can you make dinner? Nothing big, though. This food has to last until we figure out our plans and where we are going. Use the milk, please. It will expire soon." I say, heading off to the woods. I had almost forgiven Peeta by this point, I know exactly what he was afraid of, but I still had no idea why he was so unsympathetic when Rue was so scared.

As I was walking, I found an old shopping cart, empty milk cartons, and... That's weird. I saw wood with embers on it that was still lighted. I looked around and grabbed my twigs, leaves, bow, and arrows, leaving the logs I had been carrying for at least a mile, and began to run back to my family. It was probably just a runaway in the woods, but I couldn't be too certain. Running faster and faster, clutching my bow and arrows defensively, I felt a sharp, shooting pain in my right arm, which caused me to trip numerous times over stumps and rocks. The sharp pain was getting worse and worse by the second until it got to the point where it was almost unbearable and I had to drop the leaves and twigs. Running further, it finally seized and I finally made it back to my family. I was bloody, bruised, and out of breath, but I knew they were okay. "Katniss, what happened?" He asked, helping me sit down on a stump as he gathered some bread and butter for me.

"I - thought - I" I was seriously out of breath. I hadn't run that far in at least 5 years. "There were burning - embers." I coughed.

"A runaway?" Peeta asked.

"I thought so, but -" I looked toward Rue, who looked scared. I lowered my voice. "I felt a sharp, shooting pain in my arm out of nowhere."

Peeta tried to understand for a minute, but his eyes went wide. "The tracker!" he said, clearly afraid. He grasped his right arm and still felt the lump where his tracker was. "You don't think they still have the technology to use an eighteen year old tracker, do you?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders and got the knife out of my bag, trying to cut the tracker out of my arm. Suddenly, I heard Peeta groan from pain.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Rue asked, running over to him.

"Fine." He lied. "I just, bumped my arm."

"Mommy, what are you doing?" Rue asked, running over to me. I shook my head as if to say 'nothing'. After 5 minutes of causing myself this sharp pain and seeing my bone, I looked over to Peeta. "It's no use, it's probably become part of our arms now, or something, I can't get it out. It's been in our arms too long." I said, breaking down in tears.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Rue asked, evaluating my arm. "Why did you do that to yourself? Why are you crying?"

"Don't WORRY about it, Rue." I said in between sobs, getting the First Aid kit out of the bag I had brought.

"Didn't you say there were burning embers? Why?" Rue asked.

"PRIMRUE CINNA MELLARK. Leave your mother alone, she is under a tremendous amount of stress that you're too young to know anything about. Something happened." Peeta yelled.

"Would you guys STOP babying me and treating me like I'm 5?" Rue asked, standing up. "I know that whatever just happened had to do with the games you've been in, so obviously I'm not too young to understand or the ages of the Hunger Games would be 15 to 18, not 12 to 18. And would you stop doubting me? You are always going off about how I can't hunt and how I'm not strong. I am very smart. If I had to play the games, who knows? MAYBE I would have survived. Don't count me out just now. And TELL ME what's going to happen to grandma, nana, Uncle Gale and Aunt Prim. I can handle it. I know the games that you were in must have been terrible, but I need to know. You never told me anything about it, have YOU guys ever even talked about it?" She asked. I looked at Peeta and we had a silent agreement. She was right. We needed to talk about it and we needed to stop treating her like she was five. We both breathed heavily.

"Okay, it was the year 2095 and Prim had just turned 12 when I had to go to the reaping." I started.

Suddenly, I was cut off by a loud voice that seemingly came out of the sky. "LET THE 93rd HUNGER GAMES BEGIN!"


	3. Hurting

"What does that mean?" I ask Peeta, even though I knew. I just needed clarification. I go over to hug him and Rue. We all sit down in silence for a good half minute.

"I guess that pain in our arms was the tracker after all... and instead if just capturing us they decided to build the arena around us. Katniss, we have to fight to the death to save our family." Peeta says shakily, as if someone just hit him in the gut.

"Peeta, knowing the capitol we won't be able to come out as a family. Only one of us will get out alive." I can see tears flowing down Rue's face. "It's okay, Rue. You will make it out alive. I promise."

"Katniss, can I talk to you for a second?" Peeta asks, pulling at my arm. I go sit with him about 200 feet away, keeping a close eye on Rue, "Katniss, if we die and she is the victor... who will take care of her? I don't want her to be a product of the capitol."

At first I get extremely mad. He is trying to save himself AGAIN? Then I begin to understand. He's right. We need to make it out of here as a family. "So what do we do?" I ask him softly, leaning my head on his shoulder and staring at our beautiful little girl who was currently gathering up all of our supplies. A waterfall was flowing down my face.

"I think we need to find shelter before anything else." He says, helping me up. I am shaken by a cannon shot and nearly fall to my knees which scares Peeta and Rue. Rue is smart enough to know what the cannon signifies. After I convince him that I am fine we gather our supplies and I try to look through my bag but the tears forming in my eyes have shielded my line of vision. I just grab Rue and follow Peeta. He is good at camouflage, after all, so he's our best chance of finding safety. He _did_ keep himself alive for days after Cato cut him and nearly killed him that one time. His expertise in camoflogue was so good, infact, that it kind of scared me. About 2 hours later, as we are searching our 'arena' we hear that wretched cannon shot again, and then one more. I start to get frustrated. These are the woods._ My_ woods. Why can I not help Peeta in finding a place to stay?

We finally find shelter under a mess of trees and bushes 3 hours later. There is a pond of water about a mile away but there's no shelter closer to the pond that we can find. Peeta tries to hide our location the best he can, which admittedly is pretty good, and we gather all of our food into a secluded area underneath our shelter. We still have half a loaf of bread, a handful of nuts, one large can of soup, two oranges, seven apples, a ridiculous amount of grapes, two gallons of water, a pound of cheddar cheese, and three pounds of cold but cooked meat. We were still in pretty good shape.

After we organized our food and where we would be sleeping, I told Rue to get a sweater on and we sat outside just to look at the stars as a family, since it would be our last good memory as a family before the brutality toward us would begin. Peeta and I were going to get killed off, I knew that, and I needed to figure out where Rue was going to live after we passed. I would not let my little girl die. She is only a baby."Do you see those three stars in the sky?" I asked Rue. She nodded. "That's Orions belt." She looks fascinated. "And if you look over there you will see the big dipper." I knew that wasn't the big dipper because I hardly knew anything about the stars but I figured this is something that every child should experience. Peeta made up a false but hilarious story about the big dipper that was so far out there that even Rue didn't believe it. She enjoyed it, though, which is understandable. Peeta is more creative and his bedtime stories were always better than my bedtime stories.

After fifteen minutes of just enjoying each others company the wretched anthem starts to play. Even though I don't know any of the other tributes, I decide to watch it with Peeta but I send Rue away. She doesn't need to see this. She can't stand the sight of a dead deer on the side of the road let alone a picture of a dead person. She protests for a bit, saying 'there you go babying me again' but I decide that I can't be her friend. I won't. I need to put my foot down. Peeta quietly apoligizes to Rue and then tells her to listen to me.

A message appears in the sky that scares me to high heavens, and I absolutely don't know what to think. I turn to Peeta. Maybe his emotions can help me decide what to think and feel. Peeta is angrier than I have ever seen him before. I shoo Rue away and tell her to go to sleep. I look up at the sky again and try to catch my breath. It's a message that says most of the tributes are from District 12. All of the people I know and love are from District 12.

I scoot close to Peeta and hold his hand tightly, fearing the worst. I let my head rest on his shoulder. The capitol decides to torture us. The pictures do not show up for a good fifteen seconds, which feels like an eternity. Suddenly, the picture shows up and it makes my heart sink to my knees. I can't believe it. Literally. I CAN NOT. I look to Peeta whose expression goes from surprise to hurt to anger and I hold onto him tighter, both because I am afraid and need comfort and also to let him know that at least I am still here and that wherever he goes I will go.

I can't see anymore so I bury my head in Peeta's chest as the next picture comes up. Wait fifteen seconds and I can feel Peeta stiffen under me and I let out a small cry. He punches the ground harder than I can even describe and he lets out a yell. I don't know what kind of yell it was. I don't think it was a yell of anger. It was more like a mix of shock, hurt, angst, and loss. I look up and don't want to show weakness but I can't help but to cry, despite my attempts. I bite my tongue and I can see Peeta's hard face. The third picture comes up and I grit my teeth, unable to show emotion at this point. Peeta just sits there for a good five minutes after the pictures end, no doubt trying to comprehend this. Then, out of nowhere he gets up and runs into the woods, probably to cry in privacy. I can hear his screams of agony. At first I panic and I am about to get my bow because I am afraid he might be hurt, but when Zi hear his stifled cries I can't do anything but just stand there... and it kills me. I sigh and let him blow off some steam. I turn around and see Rue peeking from underneath the bushes. Tears are traveling down her face and into the dirt and she can't even speak. All the life has left my face. I hardly want to live anymore, but I need to because I need to keep Rue safe. I know how the rest of the games are going to go, though, and I can't fight.

Three tributes were killed.

But not just ANY three tributes.

My mother. Cinna. Peeta's mother.

**Sorry for the cliffhanger guys but i want you to come back(: so bad. Leave a review if you like or dislike the story and i love suggestions!**


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